This Week in Palestine, December 11th, 2015

Seven Palestinians were killed this week by Israeli gunfire as clashes between Palestinian protesters and Israeli troops continue all over the Palestinians occupied territories. In the meantime, US Republican front-runner candidate in the Presidential election, Donald Trump, cancels Israel and Jerusalem visit. These stories, and more, coming up, stay tuned.


The Nonviolence Report

Let’s begin our weekly report as usual with the nonviolent activities organized in the West Bank. five civilians were injured including a journalist on Friday meanwhile scores others were treated for the effects of tear gas inhalation when Israeli troops attacked nonviolent protests organized in West Bank villages. IMEMC’s Majd Batjali with the details:

Three youth were injured by Israeli army rubber-coated steel bullets at the village of Kufer Kadum in northern West Bank. Many more residents were treated for the effects of tear gas inhalation as Israeli troops attacked the weekly protest there. Troops later stormed the village and fired tear gas into residents homes,

Meanwhile in the villages of Bil’in and Ni’lin, in central West Bank, Israeli soldiers attacked the protesters as soon as they reached the gate in the wall that separates local farmers from their lands. In Bil’in, a journalist and another youth were injured when they were hit directly with tear gas bombs fired by Israeli troops at protesters. Many protesters suffered the effects of tear gas inhalation and were treated by field medics at both locations.

At the nearby al Nabi Saleh village, troops attacked protesters at the village entrance. Israeli soldiers fired several rounds of rubber-coated steel bullets and tear gas at protesters and nearby homes. Many residents suffered effects of tear gas inhalation as a result.

For IMEMC News this Majd Batjali.


The Political Report

This week, Donald Trump cancels Israel and Jerusalem visit this month after criticism of his controversial statements, and an Israeli court release the main suspect in the murder of the Dawabsha family, IMEMC’s George Rishmawi has more:

After criticism from both the left and the right, Donald Trump tweeted Thursday that he will delay his visit to Israel and Jerusalem, scheduled near the end of this month. The wealthy business tycoon and apparent presidential candidate had previously stated that he planned to visit the Israeli Prime Minister Binjamin Netanyahu and then force his way into the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the third-holiest site in Islam.

Muslim leaders in Jerusalem had pledged to nonviolently resist Trump’s attempts to force his way into the holy site. Earlier this week, Trump made the controversial statement that all Muslims should be barred from entering the U.S. Although Netanyahu issued a statement that he didn’t agree with Trump’s comments, he did not cancel his scheduled meeting with Trump.

Some commentators, like Philip Weiss with the Mondoweiss blog, noted that, “Last night, Chris Matthews was enraged by Trump’s recommendation that American immigration officials ask travelers if they are Muslim. But our own State Department has blasted Israel for denying “entry or exit without explanation”– notably to ‘those whom Israeli authorities suspect of being of Arab, Middle Eastern, or Muslim origin.’ In addition, Weiss noted, Israel’s racial, ethnic and religious profiling policy is already being considered for use in U.S. Airports.

On his part, Member of Israeli Knesset, Dr. Ahmad Tibi, warned of the dire consequences that could emerge should Trump decide to invade, along with Israeli officials and soldiers, the Al-Aqsa Mosque, in occupied Jerusalem.

As for statements made by Netanyahu regarding his intentions to welcome Trump, Tibi said, “Netanyahu’s racist ideology matches that of Trump, and it is not surprising that Netanyahu, and various racist Israeli politicians, including Knesset members, are eager to meet him.”

In other news, Sweden contributed $22 million to the Palestinian Partnership for Infrastructure Development Multi-Donor Trust Fund dubbed as (PID MDTF), administered by the World Bank. The Palestinian Authority will dedicate this contribution to implement prior activities regarding water and urban development, carrying out reforms in the water sector, and improving the harsh conditions of water and sanitation in the Gaza Strip. According to the statement issued by World Bank, the fund will support Palestinian local governments to improve service delivery and effective local governance through an incentive program that links expenses with achievements.

On Thursday Israel released an Israeli settler arrested for suspected involvement in a fatal arson attack on a Palestinian family back in July.

The settler, connected to a Jewish extremist organization, was arrested along with several others as a suspect in an arson that killed three members of the Dawabsha family in Duma village in the northern occupied West Bank district of Nablus. The suspect was reportedly released and transferred to house arrest for five days at his home in the illegal Israeli settlement of Benyamin, east of Ramallah city. The attack against the Dawabsha family resulted in burning the parents and a baby to death. The only survivor is still suffering serious injuries and is receiving medical and mental treatment in an Israeli hospital.

For IMEMC this is George Rishmawi


The West Bank and Gaza Report

This week seven Palestinians were killed by Israeli gunfire and more than 100 others were injured in Gaza, the West Bank and Jerusalem. Clashes between Israeli soldiers and Palestinians protesters were also reported all week. IMEMC’s Ghassan Bannoura reports:

With the seven killed this week the number of Palestinians who were shot dead by Israeli gunfire since October 1, have reached 119.

Four Palestinians were killed this week in Hebron district in southern West Bank. The four were killed in separate attacks. On Friday, Israeli forces shot and killed a Palestinian after an alleged attempted car ramming attack in Halhul village near Hebron. No Israelis were injured in the alleged attempted attack. Shortly after, a 24 year old youth was shot in the chest and critically wounded during clashes with Israeli military forces at the northern entrance to Hebron. He later died from his injuries.

Earlier in the week, Israeli soldiers shot and killed two youth in the old city of Hebron, one on Monday and other on Wednesday. Both were killed near the Ibrahimi mosque. The army claimed that the two tried to stab settlers.

In Jerusalem, one youth was killed in the Beit Hanina town after being shot by Israeli soldiers on Sunday. According to Palestinian witnesses, the youth was shoot and left to bleed to death by Israeli troops.

An 18 years old teen was shot and killed on Tuesday at dawn, after dozens of Israeli soldiers invaded Deheishe refugee camp, south of the West Bank district of Bethlehem. A Palestinian physician in Bethlehem told local media that the Israeli bullet that killed the teenager is a new type of internationally banned hollow-point bullets, which expand upon impact.

In Gaza, Israeli military forces, on Friday, shot dead a Palestinian and injured 17 others in clashes east of al-Bureij refugee camp, in the central Gaza Strip.

Palestinian sources said that 100 Palestinians were injured during ongoing clashes between Israeli soldiers and Palestinian protesters in Jerusalem, West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Among those injured there was 17 children and a journalist.

Moreover, Israeli forces conducted at least 114 invasions targeting Palestinian communities in the West Bank and Jerusalem this week. During these invasions Israeli troops kidnapped 105 Palestinians including 25 children.

In separate attacks, Israeli navy ships opened fire, on Tuesday morning, on a number of Palestinian fishing boats, close to Gaza City shore, causing damage but no injuries. The fishers were only four nautical miles away from the shore, in the Sudaniyya area, northwest of Gaza City.

Elsewhere, The Israeli Air Force fired, on Monday at dawn, at least two missiles targeting a training site run by the al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, in the Zeitoun area, south of Gaza City. damage was reported but no injuries.

For IMEMC news this is Ghassan Bannoura.


Conclusion

And that’s all for today from This Week in Palestine. This was the Weekly report for December 5, to the 11, 2015. From the Occupied Palestinian Territories. For more news and updates please visit our website at http://www.imemc.org, This week’s report has been brought to you by Maher Qasiess and me Eman Abedraboo-Bannoura.